Switch!
by ihatepigs
Summary: A mysterious girl, once part of Baroque Works, turns up during the events of the Alabastan War, and tails Ace relentlessly. With an uncommonly high bounty and strange devil fruit powers, Cedra promises to turn the world on its head-and turn it she does. Will Ace remember the faint figure that shadows his past? And what about Cedra's own history? Ace x OC, please do read! Enjoy :
1. Prologue: Biding Time

She watched, wide-eyed, as the Gold Eye pirates were struck down one by one, drunk, unable to defend or fight. The young girl huddled behind the bar of the tavern was ignored in the bloodbath yet, but someone was bound to notice her eventually.

She gritted her teeth resolutely. She had survived in the craziest of circumstances for five years, and she would be damned if she would meet her end here. As if the heavens heard her resolution, Captain Gold Eye slumped, stone dead at her feet. The mighty captain, famous for the golden eyeglass that enabled him to detect any and all metals, a useful tool for finding treasure, had his throat slit.

He had bought her as a servant two years ago, as a young girl of twelve, and had freed her from the Kairouseki gloves she had donned under the various pirate crews who had taken her under wing. Of course, there was a reason for his sense of security—the strange devil's fruit he had eaten bound all that made promises to him to fulfil them. She had been forced to take the mandatory oath of loyalty. But now that he was dead…

Getting over the initial shock, she got down to business. She had to survive. Grimacing, she reached into his blood-soaked cloak for the keys to the Kairouseki chains that bound her ankles, chains they fastened on for good measure whenever they laid anchor. Not that it served any purpose, given that she had broken the devil's curse a few weeks after eating the fruit, as they well knew. She supposed it gave them some false sense of security. _Then there was always the Oath, anyway._

Chains unfastened, she briefly contemplated stealing his eyeglass for good measure, but decided it had no use to her. Touching the locked back door with her right hand, she held up two fingers, and flipped them sharply. As she disappeared into the night, the door crashed noisily to the floor, in the exact same spot she had been.

Shuffling along the outside of the tavern, she paused just concealed within a side alley. A group of people, presumably the leaders, stood outside the tavern. Her heart thudded almost painfully in her chest as she held her breath and listened.

"Seems like it's just some small fry pirate crew." A man spoke, his tone arrogant and dismissive.

"Yeah well. Nice to have an easy job once in a while, anyway!" This time it was a female, massive and muscular.

"Everything that comes here is easy. Don't you agree, Ms Wednesday?" The tall and lanky man who spoke first swung his baseball bat experimentally, a golden crown perched on his bleached mop of hair.

"Pride comes before a fall, Mr. 9. But, I'd have to agree nonetheless." Her luscious hair was the most bizarre colour of light blue, but somehow she managed to look exquisitely aristocratic despite this.

"Focus, agenz—" The final man cleared his throat then hummed, "Ma-ma-maaa—agents. We should finish this up quickly, then clean up and prepare for the next group. The Billions posted at the lighthouse have reported a new arrival; they should be here in the next few days." His abundant golden hair was curled into ridiculous rolls, the fake mayor checked some form of schedule.

Hanging around for a while more told her that they were a group of bounty hunters, Baroque Works. Officer agents, such as those gathered outside, were numbered, or given days of the week, and other agents were generally referred to as Billions, or Millions.

_Bounty hunters, _she mused. Perhaps here she could hone her talent…get a little more information on Fire-Fist Ace and his whereabouts, and wait for the opportunity to set out. She could wait. She had learnt that the impatient, spoilt, ignorant little girl she had once been couldn't possibly survive out here.

An abandoned street cart selling fancy masks lay overturned in the street, just part of the debris left behind after the festivities. She picked one up, a plain black mask, its only prominent feature the silver paint outlining the eyes.

Lifted two fingers. Flipped them.

And walked off to request to join Baroque Works, her real face in her backpack, saved for the day of opportunity.

A/N: How do you like it so far! Okay I decided to put my one single disclaimer here at the end: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS YOU CAN CLEARLY RECOGNISE FROM THE MANGA IF YOU'VE READ IT. However, I do have several original characters—the first of which has already made her grande entrance :) I hope you enjoy it! I promise a fantastic plotline…Please do review, I hoard reviews like treasure and will love you for life. (: Thank you!


	2. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

_-Paralleling the events where Straw Hat Pirates encounter Baroque Works for the first time on Whiskey Peak.-_

"New pirates coming in!" The alarm blared across the streets of Whiskey Peak. Cedra eased off her bed with a sigh, swinging her legs off first, then slithering onto the floor like jelly. And just when she had gotten to the best part of the book she had received from Ms Wednesday for her seventeenth birthday just the week before.

"THE HEROINE WAS ABOUT TO KICK ASS, DAMMIT!" She yelled to no one in particular, hoisted herself upright then slammed the book down on her table after memorizing the page number, and ducked out of the tiny room allocated to her, buckling on her belt with her two dirks sheathed one on either side, then pulling her long swing of black hair up and out of the way into a messy bun. She took the stretch of corridor at a run, pounding down the stairs with the rest of the Millions stationed on the Whiskey Peak branch of Baroque works.

The sun was already setting by the time they finished setting up preparations for the party. Thankfully this time she had been assigned the relatively relaxing task of supervising decorations, and would be free to enjoy the night's wild party. She disliked taking part in killing sleeping victims, even if they were ruthless pirates. She only fought if they were conscious, which happened when certain more informed crews came to the island, or with those who were too weak to even bother with. And she most definitely preferred to hand them in on the live side of dead or alive. After all, the bounty was the same, wasn't it?

_At least the parties are fun,_ she mused, and chugged a bottle of soda. A loud cry broke her thoughts.

"The Straw Hat Pirates are here! Welcome to Whiskey Peak, the island of welcoming!" Grinning, she swung down from her perch on the fence and jogged over to welcome the next batch of unsuspecting victims. And stopped dead when a familiar face grinned over the rails of the incoming ship and gave a wild whoop.

_Luffy?_ She had been thinking about searching for Ace, but now that his younger brother was here…and from what she read, was making a name for himself…

_Might as well. _She raised her bottle of coke in a self-congratulatory gesture, then aimed expertly at a trash can some distance away and tossed. Anticipation filled her, heat prickling in her guts. Tonight a new phase of her life began. She spotted a familiar blue-haired figure clambering up over the rocks near the pier, then grinned and dashed across to meet her friend and superior officer.

"Ms Wednesday! How was your trip?" Cedra frowned as she neared her friend. She was dripping wet, from head to toe. "Did you just…come…from the ocean?"

"Yes I did, honey. We hitched a ride on the Straw Hats' ship, and decided to jump before they arrived. Someone's great idea." Beside her, Mr. 9 drooped. Cedra chuckled and patted his wet shoulder sympathetically.

"You guys should get changed! The party's starting soon, now that they're here." The crackling sound of party poppers signalled that it had, indeed, just began.

"Yeah we will. Go on ahead first, honey. We've got a report to write." With a smile and a wave, Ms Wednesday continued down the street, leaving a trail of seawater. Cedra stood, a strange emotion coming over her, knowing it was one of the last times she would be seeing her friend.

She had been an amazing superior, and Cedra certainly had many friends in Baroque Works. But sad as she might be, none of them, indeed, was worth her dream to join a pirate crew—one specific pirate crew, to be exact.

"Guess this is my farewell party," she remarked aloud to herself. Taking a deep breath, she told herself to smile and ran off to join the festivities.

Laughter erupted as Guille, a fellow Million, toppled over backwards, the beer in his glass spilling onto his face as he emitted a loud and telling snore. She laughed uproariously along with the rest, and downed the rest of the sake in her glass in one shot, slamming the glass down onto the table. The heat burned a trail down her throat.

She had to remind herself to remain sober. Tonight, was the night.

And the night was soon over, as everyone slumped onto the tables, exhausted from the festivities. The combat Millions were probably taking their positions outside now. Slowly, she stood, feeling just a little rush from the liquor. She trod carefully, avoiding assorted arms and legs tangled on the floor, then slipped out the back door and nipped along to her dorm.

She'd packed earlier, so all it took was to hoist the backpack onto her shoulder and leave. She felt a twinge of sadness, looking at the books she had accumulated over the one year she had been here. She had to leave them behind; it was far too impractical. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't indulge in the odd one or two. The extra weight didn't mean anything.

She used the rooftops, so as not to be caught up in the massacre below. And immediately began sprinting in the opposite direction from the harbour. The crowd of maniacal people dashing across the roofs was definitely unexpected, even by Whiskey Peak standards.

"Come get me!" The swordsman with cropped green hair yelled tauntingly at the bounty hunters chasing him.

_What the…he's awake? I could've sworn he was out cold._ Thinking fast, she ducked into a small storage shed on the roof, knocking over a broom in the process. Panting, she caught her breath and collected her thoughts.

In truth, if she saved him, perhaps she could gain the trust of the Straw Hats.

Warming to her new plan, she bundled out of the shed and nearly straight into his back.

"Hey, wou—" Before she could offer assistance, his sword was swinging around and at her head. Reflex saved her as she ducked, then switched with the broom in the shed she had touched previously.

She relaxed for a moment, then watched wide eyed as the entire top half of the shed slid off the structure, cleanly cut in two.

"No shit man." She swapped out with the broom again, finding herself directly behind the swordsman She hit the ground running, hoping to seek out a more peace-loving pirate. _Peace loving! Pirate! Ha! _The irony struck her even as she ran for her life.

Taking a short cut through the back alleys, she ended up at the building which housed the bound and sleeping pirates. She swung in through the open window and landed softly. Unsheathing her dirk, she slashed at the ropes binding their ridiculously bloated captain.

"What the—" the lone guard barely had time to turn around before she twitched her fingers and switched the consciousness of Luffy and the guard. Luffy stirred awake and the guard slumped to the ground, snoring.

"Unnh…gotta pee…" the boy rolled over and got up, totally unaware of the fact that his crew was unconscious and bound.

"Luffy!" She whispered urgently, reaching for his wrist. It had been years, but perhaps he would remember her.

"Eh? Who are you? Where's the toilet?" …Or perhaps not. Sighing, she indicated the direction of the nearest restroom. Negotiations would have to wait.

"That way." He strolled out of the tavern and was immediately bowled over by Zoro fleeing from several explosions. "What the—" She peered around the doorframe cautiously. _Mr 5 and Ms Valentine! What were they doing here? Wasn't this just the usual bounty hunting? _She decided to stay hidden for just a while longer. She strained her ears listening for their conversation.

"…traitor in our midst…Knows the boss' identity…must be eliminated!" Cedra's mind filled with horror. It couldn't be…a while back, she had noticed something wrong with Mr 8, and Ms Wednesday…the way they were behaving. A month or so of tracking them whenever they were in town told her all she wanted to know—that they were spies from Alabaster.

Yet something told her, deep inside, that the cause they were protecting was a noble one. Besides, she didn't really bear much loyalty to Baroque Works either…It was just her stopping place. She kept her silence. Unfortunately, it would seem they had been discovered nonetheless. She set her jaw, resolving to help Ms Wednesday in her final mission, especially since she herself was leaving too.

Summoning her courage, checking for her bag of switching pebbles, and unsheathing both dirks, she kicked open the door into the chaos of the fight.

A/N: I love you all who reviewed/favourited! You have no idea how much it means to me ((: haha once again I hope you like it so far! Yes, I'm going to show you a taste of how our heroine fights :) Please review!


	3. Chapter 2: The Lioness

_Definitely not a wise choice,_ she thought, moments before she was bombarded by Mr 5's explosions. The shock waves sent her flying through the air, towards a wall. Gritting her teeth, she reached for a pebble, tossed it and flipped the index and middle fingers of her right hand. She landed safely in the middle of the street, while the stone crashed into the wall. Directly in front of her was Ms Wednesday, or as she had already known for some time, Princess Nefetari Vivi.

"Let's go, princess. You don't intend to get killed here, do you?" Ms Wednesday wheeled around at the sound of her voice.

"Lioness!" Startled, the cyan-haired princess used the name Cedra had lived under while working under Baroque Works, inspired by the way she dip-dyed the ends of her dark hair blazing red. Her eyes narrowed and she backed away. "Are you here to kill me too?" Cedra smiled sadly, noting that Vivi had dropped the fake 'honey's she used under Ms Wednesday's character._ So here on is the real her._

"No, princess. I'm here to get you away." Grabbing the astonished princess' wrist, she made a break for it under the cover of the debris caused by the explosion. She gritted her teeth as Mr 5 fired two more booger-bombs. _I'll have to say, that attack is just disgusting._ "Don't get too surprised now, princess." Retrieving two pebbles from her pocket, she flung them onto the roof and flipped her fingers moments before the bombs hit. Slightly disoriented, Vivi stumbled before catching her footing and running after Cedra, who was already leaping to the next roof. That close save seemed to convince Vivi of her intentions.

"Thanks." Her eyes were teary as she thought of how Igaram, who had been left behind.

"Worried about Igarappoi? Or perhaps, I should say Igaram now." Cedra smiled comfortingly. "He'll be alright. They're all coming after us, if that's any consolation." Vivi managed a laugh.

"How long have you known?" Cedra shrugged. "A while back. I noticed something was strange. I tailed you two, you and Igaram." She smiled slightly at the memory. "It was pretty easy to find out the kind of information the two of you were searching for. Then I overheard some conversations, put two and two together, and…SWITCH!" She yelled, casting out two stones with one hand and flipping her fingers with the other. The building they had been standing on crumbled inwards from the impact of Ms Valentine's weight.

"Oh, shit." Her aim, in its haste, had not been quite so accurate. In fact, they were heading towards the ground at an alarming pace. Before she could use her fruit powers again, their descent was halted abruptly. Cedra choked a little as she was yanked back by the scruff of the loose blouse she wore and thrown inside a house. The moonlight in the house illuminated the figure of Ms Monday. She tensed for a moment.

"Get downstairs, both of you. I'll hold them off. Use the back door of this building; it should lead to the path to the pier. The Straw Hats' boat should still be there. You can use it to escape." Vivi gaped.

"Ms Monday? But why?" The huge woman chuckled and cracked her knuckles.

"I don't know what the both of you have done, but I can't let my partner and his charge go down like this, can I? Anyway, I've been looking for a good brawl." She broke off sharply as Ms Valentine's voice was heard calling down the street.

"He-ey, we haven't got all night here! Just come out, you traitorous princess. You can't escape anyway!"

"Lioness, get her out of here." Ms Monday jerked her head towards the stairs, then leapt right out of the window and landed on the street below to do battle.

"Ms Monday!" Vivi's eyes shone with unshed tears. Cedra bit her lip.

"Princess, we can't afford this now. Honour their sacrifice. I know it's hard, but we have to go now." She grabbed her friend by the arm and half dragged the girl down the stairs. Just as they made it out the door, the shockwave of an explosion shook the ground, making them almost stumble. Cedra bit her lip harder. _Ms Monday…_Shaking her head, she told herself to take her own advice and continued dragging Vivi along.

They had barely run ten metres when a black-clad figure landed before them. The two girls skidded to a stop.

"There you are, little girls. You should know, you can't run away from us. Now have a taste of my human bomb ability! NOSE FANCY CANNON!"

"Damn!" Cedra fumbled for more pebbles, but found she was down to one. _Forgot to replenish this morning,_ she realised. Flinging the pebble as far down the road as she could, she switched Vivi over then braced herself for the explosion. Before it hit, a figure jumped before her, sword clasped in both hands. The tiny bomb was sliced in two, parting to explode on either side of the street, collapsing the walls on both side to block the road. Vivi was safe on the other side.

"I can't believe I had to cut a freaking booger!" The swordsman seemed utterly disgusted. Honestly, Cedra had to sympathize with him.

"You're from Luffy's crew, aren't you?" She asked, remembering him from the fighting before. Then it struck her. Fighting. He was probably an enemy, then. She backed away, bending at the same time to scoop up a rock. The swordsman frowned at the familiar use of Luffy's name, then sighed. _Who was this strange black masked woman?_

"Well, if you're on her" here he jerked his head in the general vicinity of where Vivi had run "side, then I'm on your side too. Saving the damsel in distress. Damn that navigator," the last put was muttered bitterly. He seemed like the kind who wouldn't—or rather had no reason to—lie, so she relaxed.

The relief was short lived, as Mr 5 fired bomb after bomb at the rubble, trying to blast a tunnel through. Cedra thought fast. Grabbing two fist sized boulders, she turned to the swordsman.

"Get this as far away from us as possible. Okay?" Without waiting for a response, she dived forward, grazing Ms Valentine on the way, then grabbing Mr 5's arm. Ms Valentine had not expected a non-Officer agent to charge straight at her, but Mr 5 was quicker on the uptake and exploded his arm the moment she came into contact with it. The shockwave sent her crashing painfully into the buildings at the side, without even time to absorb the impact properly. She gasped, winded, feeling a piercing pain in her shoulder. _Dislocated? _She thought dazedly, then shook off the daze. Noting that the swordsman, albeit puzzled, had complied with the two rocks, she raised two fingers on her good hand and flipped.

"Switch," she said, and the two of them were replaced by the two boulders. Looking back, she saw them a few hundred metres or so behind. _He threw them that far?_

"Let's go!" He yelled, beckoning. She got up, and winced as she jostled her shoulder. _Definitely dislocated._ Watching her, the swordsman sighed and wrapped an arm around her waist, before ascending the wall of rubble by jumping from stone to stone with amazing agility. Evidently, he had no concern for her comfort, as her shoulder jarred painfully with each landing. By the time they reached the top, her skin was clammy with sweat. The swordsman didn't seem to be aware, given that her face was a black mask with the exception of her eyes. He continued relentlessly, leaping off the top of the wall. Cedra braced herself for the impact of landing, but grunted with pain when they landed nonetheless. The swordsman finally noticed. He set her relatively gently on the ground.

"Oops. Sorry. My bad."

"It's okay," she managed between gritted teeth, getting up without the use of her arms. "Who are you, anyway?" He flashed a wolfish grin.

"Roronoa Zoro." She gaped at him in surprise, then centred in on his black bandana and three swords. She sighed. She should have noticed earlier.

"Weren't you in the bounty hunting business?"

"I quit. Pirate, now."

"Talk about doing a hundred and eighty," she muttered, and motioned towards the path, indicating they should continue.

"Just a moment." She glanced at him quizzically. "I want to pop that shoulder back in for you." She paled at the thought, but realised it would be most efficient that way. He laughed. "I can always carry you if you black out." _Well, gee. That is so comforting,_ she wanted to say, but instead sighed.

"Okay. I'm going to scream blue murder, you know." He shrugged.

"They know where we are anyway." Bracing her against the wall, he took her arm near where the rapidly swelling joint was. Just the touch itself was almost enough to make her sob. Without warning, he slammed it back into the socket. Her scream rent the air, and involuntary tears stung her eyes. "There, all done." She could hear him saying through the roaring in her ears. "Are you…" His shadowed face swam closer as her vision greyed, then blackened.

When she came to, it was to the unwelcome sound of explosions. They were on the run. Her shoulder still ached fiercely, but she could at least move her arm gingerly now. Zoro had bound it tightly with strips torn from his white shirt, such that it limited the amount of jostling it got.

"Thanks," she muttered, in between his dodging explosions. He nodded grimly.

"You're awake. Understand if I don't put you down right away. Bit inconvenient, with all these bombs." She was cradled in his arms, princess style. Despite already being considered somewhat matured at seventeen, she had yet to have such close physical contact with members of the opposite sex. _Thankfully, I don't blush easily. Even if I did, I have this mask. _She looked down uncomfortably anyway. His smirk told her he had read her mind nonetheless. "Didn't know you masked spy-types were that shy." She groaned in embarrassment, then motioned with her good hand.

"There's a pile of rubble over there I could use pretty effectively. They're a bit close for comfort." Nodding in understanding, Zoro headed for the indicated area, putting on a turn of speed. _This guy catches on fast, _she noted admiringly. _And has excellent stamina to boot. _Setting her on the ground, he unsheathed two swords and held them at the ready. She took up two rocks in her hands. "Hit these as far as you can." He seemed a bit disgruntled at the prospect of using his swords as baseball bats, but sheathed them nonetheless, deciding to use the sheath as protective casing. She tossed first one, then the other, and watched with satisfaction as they flew high over the heads of Mr 5 and Ms Valentine. Unfortunately Ms Valentine changed her weight and shot high above to intercept one. Cedra gritted her teeth.

"Who do you want to get rid of first?"

"Bomb guy." And so Mr 5 disappeared, much to his annoyance. Seeing her difficulty in even walking, Zoro shook his head and swept her up again. _Why, why did I have to have my arm dislocated?_ Cedra questioned silently, feeling unbelievably awkward. Before long, they had caught up with Vivi. They were almost at the pier, Cedra noted, being familiar with this part of town. Unfortunately, Mr 5 and Ms Valentine had caught up as well.

"What does it take to **lose **these people?" She grumbled, disgruntled. Then an explosion sounded further down, crumbling several houses and blocking the road again. Cedra groaned in frustration._ That's it. He's going to be the first to go down._ Vivi skidded to a stop on her duck, spun around and spotted the four of them.

"Alright. I'm taking the bomb guy." She told Zoro, filling her pouch with good sized stones from the dirt road.

"Sure you can? With that arm and all…" When she glared at him, he chuckled and backed away, raising his hands. "Whoa, easy on the ego there. I don't want to cut anymore boogers any way." But he was right about the arm. Though better than before, and with full mobility, it still hurt a little. But it would do. Skimming the stone lightly along the ground, she switched just as it rolled beyond him and appeared, dirks drawn. Just as the dirks were descending on his unprotected back, Mr 5 turned with a small smirk. _Shit,_ she barely had time to curse mentally and fling up both arms to protect her face before a painful explosion sent her flying backwards, and crashing into a nearby wall. She barely managed to protect herself by twisting on her side just as she hit to absorb the impact. Even then, it left her out of breath and dazed with pain. Struggling onto her knees, she sucked in quick, shallow breaths between gritted teeth.

Somewhere in her greying vision, Mr 5 was smirking at her.

Fury lent her conviction.

_Time to get serious, _she thought, reaching into her pouch for the two plastic shards she kept in there. She knew very well that their edges were very sharp. She had put them there. Laying them together with her two dirks, she flipped her fingers, returning the sharp edges to the dirks. Stowing the now blunt plastic shards, she sheathed one dirk, gripping the other in her right hand, and stood to face Mr 5 again, breathing slowly recovering.

"Alright now, you bastard." With her left, she grasped a few pebbles. Time for a quick burst of technique. Without warning, she tossed the three pebbles, sending them flying in different directions.

"Tch." He gritted his teeth, already vaguely aware of her power loosely related to teleporting. On his right! He turned, swinging an explosive arm around, but met only air. Instinctively he ducked, and just in time as her dirk swung overhead from the left. His hand shot out to grasp her ankle but once again missed. By now he knew where her last and final attack could only come from. Spinning around, he gripped the blade just before it plunged into his chest. Blood dripped from the wound in his hand, where it welled around the blade. He grinned, slowly. "Checkmate." Moments before the explosion struck, she touched the bleeding gash on his hand and _smiled._

The explosion sent her careening into another wall, but she was prepared and switched with a fourth pebble. She panted, facing him.

"You're out of moves now, missy. I know all about your teleportation. As long as I know where you're throwing those pebbles, I can catch you. It's your loss." Cedra only replied with the same cold smile.

"Really, Mr 5. You didn't quite catch me just now, did you? And out of moves? I'm not so sure about that…" Raising her dagger high, she brought it down and across, hard.

Mr 5 gaped in astonishment at the humongous wound on her thigh. "What…what are you doing?" Surrender? No, it could not be. The confidence in her expression, though pained, was not that of a loser.

"This wound is pretty deep. Not fatal, but it might be, if not given immediate medical attention, namely first a tourniquet and then stitching, and fast, if you don't want to lose the limb. If not, probable cause of death would be rapid blood loss, shock and anaemia. I'd give it about fifteen minutes before it gets really critical."

"What…are you delusional? It's your life in danger, not mine! The wound's on your leg!" Her smirk was frighteningly dark by now.

"Oh, is it really? I'd check again." She slowly raised two fingers stained with blood—not hers, but his, from the wound she had touched earlier.

"Switch."

A/N: Haha yes revealing more of her powers! It has limiters, of course, which you should have picked up by now If not, upon request, I can give a clear definition…in later chapters of course, since saying it now would spoil some of the major events I have all planned out *wriggles in excitement*

HAHA YES ONCE AGAIN I hope you all enjoyed it, please keep reading, and I'm practically dying for more reviews T.T Please do read! I promise it will get more exciting. I'm building it up, and there's a lot of foundation that needs to be laid down before the crises So be patient with me! Love you all who follow my story haha its one of my first, so Thank you!


	4. Chapter 3 - New Journey

"_Switch," she said. _

The screaming pain in her thigh was abruptly silenced.

Mr 5 found himself on the floor, with a roar of agony. His fingers tensed above the wound, shaking as the grappled with the pain. The blood was gushing from the slit on his thigh, while the only sign that Cedra had been cut was the rip in her dark pants, and the darker stain of blood around it. The red liquid now dripped from a slash in her hand.

"You…you…" Before he could finish his statement, a large object flew across, knocking him into a nearby building.

"ZOROOOOOO!" Luffy, one hand positioned atop his head to steady his signature straw hat, face contorted with fury, came charging into the scene. "I'll never forgive you!" The swordsman spun with a look of absolute astonishment.

"WHAT?" Seizing the opportunity, Ms Valentine ran to the rescue of her injured partner, as Luffy and Zoro became entangled in a scuffle.

"How dare you attack these kind people!?" Luffy yelled, raising both fists in the air. "Those people over there said you beat them up! And after the huge party they threw to welcome us? How could you?" Cedra dropped her head into her palm.

"How could _you…_be so dense…" she muttered under her breath as Zoro frantically tried to explain himself. Before he could finish, Luffy launched himself at the swordsman with a roar again. He barely managed to dodge the blow, and gaped in astonishment as Luffy's fist pulverized an entire section of wall.

"Are you trying to KILL me?"

"Yes, DIE!" The fight intensified, much to Cedra's and Vivi's dismay. Cedra skirted the two of them and tapped Vivi on the shoulder.

"Let's get out of here in the meantime. I can switch you up the blockage, so head over to the docks immediately." The two of them ran towards the mountain of rubble but stopped short as a parasol-wielding figure crashed down before them.

"Looks like I'll have to abandon my partner for a while huh." Cedra glanced over at the man lying on the side, unconscious, blood already soaking the crude bandage and tourniquet. "Whether he loses his leg or not, I'll have this mission completed by the time he awakes. He'll thank me for the payback." Ms Valentine ground her teeth, glaring at the two of them.

"So you can feel loyalty too, huh." Cedra mocked, while subtly motioning for Vivi to pass her a stone. She clenched the pebble in hand, then with a deep breath, tossed it over the wall. Just as it reached the top of its trajectory and threatened to fall out of sight, she flipped her fingers and flung herself at Ms Valentine. As the world tilted, her heart soared with triumph as she saw Vivi scramble to the top of the pile of rubble and slide down the other side.

"Get back here, you bitch!" Ms Valentine snarled, pretty face twisted in anger, jumping up with minimum weight. A hand grabbed her ankle and flung her to the ground, hard, before she could do so. Cold steel pressed against her neck.

"Your opponent is me." Cedra panted, pinning Ms Valentine's shoulders to the ground. She knew it was futile even as Ms Valentine increased to maximum weight and, with a heave, flipped Cedra over such that she was now pinning her to the ground. She gasped as the painful pressure of the knees on her chest increased, squeezing out the air. She could not breathe, could not think…The only thing she was aware of was the dirk in her hand. She brought it up, swiping blindly in an arc. The flashing metal caused Ms Valentine to jerk back instinctively, temporarily releasing Cedra. She seized the chance and bucked, throwing Ms Valentine off and scrambling to her feet, fighting to breathe normally, and grinned triumphantly as blood trickled in a thin line down the scratch she had managed to inflict on her opponent's skin. The officer agent touched a hand to her jaw warily, well aware of Cedra's ability.

"Someone with your ability should not have remained in the Millions…" she frowned. "I do not know why you have hidden your powers until now, but now that I know how your ability works, I will not let you touch me!" So-saying, she flung her lightweight self in an arcing leap above the ground. Grabbing a fistful of stones and pouring them into the pouch at her side, Cedra took twisted her body, bringing the hand holding a pebble as far back as she could, then took two skipping preparatory steps and flung the stone as high as it could go. When it had reached the top of its trajectory, she switched, another stone already in hand. The next pebble brought her right behind the enemy, who twisted, slapping away the hand already reaching for the cut on her jaw. The blonde girl drew her knees up and drove both feet with maximum weight into Cedra's stomach, winding her and sending both of them flying towards the buildings on opposite sides of the lane from the force. She cursed and flung a pebble up and over, sending it skittering onto the roof. The moment it touched the roof she flipped her fingers. The stone ricocheted off the spot where she had been heading for with immense force, while she rolled painfully across the roof, flopping on the concrete and gasping for breath, curling around the area where she had been kicked. She felt nothing but numbness now, but knew the bruises would spring up painfully later. Forcing herself to stand, she looked around for Ms Valentine. The crash site in the opposite building was empty. Instinct had her dropping and rolling as the heavyweight woman came crashing down through the roof of the building. She watched the hole, fighting to catch her breath, waiting with a stone in her palm. As the bedraggled and furious figure of the officer agent shot up again she threw the stone with deadly accuracy and appeared right in front of Ms Valentine, dirk raised. And stepped away as the blonde lady crumpled, unconscious from the hard blow to the back of her head with the heavy silver handle of the dirk.

"Because pulling the same trick twice in one battle would just be so boring," Cedra finished with a grin, before running across the roof to catch up with her friend, completely forgetting about the two bull-headed boys still battling it out on the street. Unbeknownst to her, the two defeated officer agents had found each other again.

"We can't let it go like this." Mr 5 gasped, grimacing against the pain in his leg

"Yeah, let's at least take out those two pirates." Ms Valentine helped her partner up, struggling to ignore the pounding in her temples from the hard knock. Her brain felt loosely anchored, sloshing around painfully in her skull. "Our pride must not be tainted!"

The two pathetic figures staggered towards the brawling idiots.

"Let's go!" They nodded at each other, and prepared to charge. Suddenly the clamour settled. The fight seemed to have stopped. They paused mid-step, searching the dust cloud for a victor. Two silhouettes seemed to be standing though.

"God, you two are annoying." Their voices chilled the two agents to the bone. They immediately began back-tracking, but it was already too late. Ms Valentine let loose a wild scream as she was unceremoniously flung back into the air, despite weighing herself down for all she was worth. "Getting in the way of our fight!" Mr 5 was similarly knocked out of the way with the back of Zoro's sword.

"So damn annoying," Zoro growled, thoroughly exasperated by the day's events.

"Who the hell were they, anyway? That lady needs to lose some weight. She's so heavy…" Luffy complained, swinging his arm around to loosen the muscles. "Well then." He eyed Zoro, pulling back said arm in preparation. "Shall we continue?" The clean snick of unsheathing swords was his only reply. Except the fight never continued, as fortunately for the blissfully unaware undercover princess nearing the dock, a certain cat-thief interceded in a no less violent—but successful, nonetheless—manner.

Somehow, the whole group had caught up with each other at the docks sometime later. As anticipated, a certain materialistic navigator was attempting to squeeze her money's worth from the princess of Alabasta. Vivi gave a weary sigh, then looked up at them, earning a rare silence from the rowdy crew of pirates.

"Have you ever heard of the kingdom of Alabasta?"

As the princess shared her story, Cedra's heart sank. It would seem her superior and friend was in deeper trouble than she had expected. She had no reason to doubt her tale; whatever she had said tied in with the scant information she had managed to glean as the Lioness over the past few years. After a while, she took to staring at Luffy, who, though listening to the story, was as easily distracted as she remembered. He perched on the barrel, the slightly bored expression only leaving his face at the mention of a powerful boss. _I wonder if Luffy would know where he is…_she mused. Suddenly she realised that everyone had fallen uncharacteristically silent, and bore a look of horror on their faces. With a start, Cedra leapt to her feet, drawing her dirks, glancing from side to side.

"What, what's happening?" She looked around wildly in confusion.

"Didn't you just say his name…" the dry and contrastingly calm drawl came from Zoro, who bore a look of long-suffering.

"What, whose name?" But everyone was too busy staring in dismay at the otter and vulture flying off into the distance, presumably bringing the bad tidings to said boss. _The Unluckies? _She thought. Finally Zoro thought to enlighten her.

"We've just been told that the boss of Baroque Works is Crocodile, the Shichibukai, and he's probably on his way to hunt us down now because of those two." He jerked his head in the vague direction of the far off silhouettes.

"What? Are you kidding?" She yelled, eyes bugging out. She was nowhere near ready to face an enemy with logia fruit powers. Terror and anxiety seized her chest, tightening its hold over her lungs. But when her eyes met Zoro's, she recognised the exact same expression as that which Luffy bore—not one of fear, but excitement and anticipation. "You guys are all nuts…" she muttered under her breath, sinking to her haunches and resting her head on her folded arms. Meanwhile there was general chaos as Nami, the navigator, attempted in vain to escape and Vivi attempted to console her.

"Fear not!" An all too familiar voice boomed out. Cedra glanced up to see a sight that would scar her eyes forever.

"Igaram, what the hell are you doing in a dress?" She stared at him incredulously.

"I have a plan, Lioness. I need the assistance of these pirates. I'm assuming you're on our side too, and therefore I'd like to request your assistance as well." Briefly he outlined the improvised plan, illustrating with the crude dummies he had made. Cedra frowned. If they were to carry out his plan, the man would be in the greatest danger. In her heart, she sighed, coming to a resolution. It would seem her personal plans would have to be postponed for a while.

"I'll come with you, Igaram." She spoke up, glancing at the huge man she had come to grudgingly respect because of his kindly manner towards the younger members of the Millions, including her. "I have some extra tricks up my sleeve that could help." Igaram studied the unreadable planes of her black mask, trying to find the answer to the question that had been bugging him.

"Why are you helping us, Cedra? You didn't need to place yourself in danger; there were no suspicions about you." The shiny black plastic that formed the lines of her mouth curved into a slight smile.

"Because it was time to leave, anyway. And can't I help my friend of three years?" She walked away without waiting for a reply, and picked up one of the three dummies. She breathed deeply through her nose as she boarded the boat used by Mr 5 and Ms Valentine, imagining the tension draining away from her shoulders, flowing out through her arms and ebbing with the waves. Setting down the dummy, she closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy for a moment the thrumming adrenaline the thought of embarking on a new journey again triggered in her. She heard heavy footsteps behind her and turned as Igaram laid a hand on her shoulder. The look of gratitude and relief in his weary eyes told her all he wanted to say. With an equally heartfelt smile, she patted the hand still on her shoulder before pulling away to run the last few checks on the boat before the journey. They had an eternal pose to Alabasta, but her own personal log pose, hung on a chain around her neck with a protective casing, was already logged onto the next island just in case.

They waved goodbye as their ship drifted away, leaving the four figures semi-obscured by smoke and mist behind on the pier. Just as they hit the deeper waters, Cedra tensed.

"Mines," she hissed, and grabbed Igaram around the neck, pulling the heavier man into the ocean just as the ship behind them exploded in a shower of burning timber and ash. She hit the water surface and went under moments before the shockwave thrust them a good distance away from the wreckage, riding on a wave. Turning to check on Igaram, she found the man treading water steadily but with an expression of complete shock on his face.

"How are you…" He shook his head wildly. "Do your powers come from a devil fruit?" Cedra grinned with mischief. The sea water caused a faint tingling sensation on her skin, but aside from that no other reactions.

"Yes they do. However, the next question you're going to ask can wait till we're out of this situation." She struck out for the nearest piece of wreckage, clinging on to the splintered wood and catching her breath. Scanning the smoke and flames for the culprit for the attack, she found none. The agents, if any, had probably already left assuming the both of them had perished in the violent explosion. Paddling over to Igaram, she shifted to make way for him to cling onto the long piece as well.

"We'd best start making our way to shore. It's a long swim." The daunting prospect of having to swim all the way back to the pier drove all suspicions about her immunity to the devil fruit curse out of his mind, replacing it with dismay. Little by little, the two bedraggled ex-agents propelled themselves back towards the shores of Whiskey Peak.

"They've already left," Cedra called, having checked the waterway where the Going Merry had been docked earlier.

"Good. I've found two boats here, too!" Igaram yelled back, motioning to the two wooden fishing boats tied loosely to the supporting posts of the rarely-used rickety back jetty. She jogged back, then plonked wearily down on the floor. Shouts were already drifting over from the city as dawn spilled its golden life over the island. The bounty hunters were waking and would soon find them both, already labelled as traitors.

"So what's the plan?" They laid out all they had with them—Cedra's log pose, the eternal pose to Alabasta, their individual weapons, as well as several days' worth of supplies for the both of them that Igaram had managed to glean from the nearby houses.

"Plan? We split." Before she could protest, he held up a hand for silence and continued. "You go after the Straw Hat Pirates with your own log pose. They need to be warned about potential attackers, now that our diversion has already failed. We have no idea of knowing if they are aware of that fact. I, on the other hand, will continue full speed ahead to Alabasta, where I will attempt to warn and mobilise the troops in accordance to the information we have gathered." Cedra mused over the plans for a moment, then shrugged.

"Sounds good." She swung her lightweight backpack onto the floor before her, and began rummaging for a deep pocket she had not opened for 3 years. Finding what she was looking for, she studied it for a while. "It's changed, a little, with time. I guess time still affects it the same way it would if it were on me." She murmured to herself, while Igaram looked on, mystified. Raising a hand to her smooth plastic cheek, she ran her fingertips over the familiar features of her black mask. "I won't be needing this anymore." Smiling, she raised two fingers and flipped. When she shook back her dark hair, Igaram beheld the true features of Cedra.

"I'm no longer the Lioness, just as you're no longer Mr 8." Tossing the black mask into the sea, she watched it sink before turning to face him with a grin. "Nice to meet you, Igaram. My name is Cedra. I look forward to working with you."

A/N: Okay so I shall leave you wondering how, precisely, did she get rid of her curse? Haha but that's something that won't be revealed until pretty much later in the story :)

Thank you for all the reviews! When I see reviews I sorta clutch them to my heaving (but pathetically underdeveloped) bosom and cry out in gratitude ((: mega love to the two of you who reviewed! I did try to follow your suggestions but not too used to the style of describing emotions working on it, haha I'm an author still under construction (:

Okay I hope you'll continue to read and follow and REVIEW! 3 all of you I promise I'll keep making things more exciting!


	5. Chapter 4: Going Solo

She woke from her light doze with a start, knocking her head none too gently against the mast of the dinghy. Hissing with pain, she massaged the bruised area and wondered fuzzily what exactly had roused her. The answer came as first one, then two icy raindrops fell on her face. Glancing up to the sky, she noted its violent purple-grey colour, and the approaching storm clouds illuminated by flashes of thunder. The blurry sheet of rain approached fast. Cedra frowned. It was approaching little too fast. Make that abnormally fast.

"Shit." Cedra bolted for the ropes holding up the main and only sail on the dinghy. If the sail or the mast was damaged, she would be rowing the dinghy all the way to the next island. The boat rocked dangerously, riding out the increasingly violent waves as she scrambled to gather the sail cloth and wrap it around her food supplies for protection. With a sudden flash of inspiration, she took a length of rope and strung her backpack, supplies and sailcloth together, before fastening the end to the mast of the boat. She barely had time to do the same with her waist and a second length of rope before the storm hit, instantly drenching her from head to toe. Shaking soggy hair from her eyes, she grabbed the dinghy's wooden paddle and poled for her life.

Cedra woke, this time to a burning sensation on her face. Groaning, forced open salt-encrusted eyelids and squinted at the fiery sun and cloudless sky. Grand Line sported temperamental weather, indeed. She unclenched cramped fingers from the well-used wooden paddle and sat up stiffly. Clumsily she made her way on all fours to the now dry and crisp bundle of sail cloth at the other end of the boat. Thanks to her brilliant idea, she had not lost anything in the dreadful storm. Well, nothing but precious time. Uncorking a tightly sealed water bottle, she spared a little of the precious liquid to wash her face of the salt, relieving the unbearable salt-burn. She rinsed and spat, then drank a few life-giving mouthfuls, before economically saving the rest. Sitting back against the mast, she gave a sigh of relief. The sea was calm beneath the sun now, so she could rest for a while before continuing her journey. After all, the air was so still she was sure another storm wouldn't occur for at least an hour. She froze mid-thought. The air was never so still on the ocean. With a sinking feeling, she gripped the rim of the boat and peered over the edge—straight into a pair of huge, slit-pupil eyes. The water erupted into a boiling mass of confusion as the dinghy sailed up, up, up on the head of an enormous snake monster.

"Bloody hell!" she screeched hysterically, one arm clamped like a vice around the mast of the near-vertical dinghy, one arm fumbling in her pouch for a pebble. Flinging the pebble as far out in any direction as possible, she flipped her fingers desperately. The dinghy splashed violently into the ocean several tens of metres away, not nearly far enough. Pausing only to get a vague orientation from her battered log pose, she tossed pebble after pebble, screaming blue murder all the while as she switched away from precarious heights, snapping jaws and lashing tails. When she felt the first brush of ocean breeze she almost wanted to sob with happiness. She retrieved her miraculously unharmed possessions from where they were floating around in the ocean, coiling the rope as she reeled them in. Checking her pouch, she realised her mad escape had brought her down to her last two pebbles. _I'd best save them for emergencies; _she bit her lip in concern. She continued rowing for another few hundred metres just to be safe, before unfurling her sail cloth and hoisting it up the mast. "I'm on my way, Luffy, Vivi!" she announced with enthusiasm that did not quite match the unsteady rhythm of her heart. Set on course, she thumped down on the small seat of the dinghy and rummaged in her supplies for edibles. "Just let me grab a snack first," she muttered under her breath, splitting open a packet of dried mangoes.

"So you're with the Straw Hats!" The two giants' unique laughter rang out in unison. "You're not with that weird candle guy then. Sorry about attacking you earlier on."

"Its okay, no injuries!" Cedra held her hands up, smiling widely. _Just scared the shit out of me,_ she added silently. When the two giants had suddenly charged out of the seemingly uninhabited forest, picked her up by the ankle and roared in her face she had been just that close to having a heart attack. But she just could not stay afraid of the two friendly, stubborn, protective giants, especially not when they had rushed to restock her supplies and store of small pebbles (although their definition of small was markedly different from hers) as an apology.

"So, I need to catch up with them quickly. When will the log pose be ready?" She stood and stretched.

"In about one year." Dorry said with a grin. Cedra froze, then turned slowly to face the giant.

"One…year? How did the Straw Hats leave then?"

"They got an eternal pose to Alabasta from Mr. 3."

"Mr. 3 was here? How did you…" She sat down heavily again and sighed. "Could you tell me the whole story again?"

"So basically I'm stuck here for the next year." She glared balefully up at Dorry, who shrugged unapologetically. Brogy had left earlier to hunt for their dinner, as the sun was beginning to set.

"You're always welcome to stay with us," he offered. They were interrupted when Brogy came crashing through the trees, sending the huge prehistoric plants toppling to the ground in a shower of leaves, ferns, and trailing lianas.

"Cedra! There's another boat, coming in from the wrong side!"

"What do you mean the wrong side?"

"The side boats are meant to leave from. I think I spotted the Baroque works symbol on the flag!" She froze. If Mr. 3 had been sent to Little Garden and, to the best of Crocodile's knowledge, succeeded…the only higher ranked agents he could possibly send were…

"The boat. What did it look like?"

"That's the thing, it was really strange! Shaped like some sort of bird. The sails were a bright pink too!" Cedra's heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Then a flash of inspiration came to her. She might have found her way to Alabasta after all.

"Dorry, Brogy, let me make a request. Can the both of you hide for a while? Don't get spotted by the crew of that ship." The two good-natured warriors grinned.

"Sure we can. We may be giants, but we know this island like the back of our hands! You got a plan?"

The reek of stale floral-scented perfume was overpowering as she crept on board the Swanda Express. Most of the okama crew had followed their leader off the boat, leaving only a few to guard the vessel. Only one of those guards were on the deck, giving her the perfect opportunity to carry out her plan. Quietly unsheathing her dirk, she crept behind the unsuspecting okama and swung the hilt down with all the force she could muster. The man—woman—neither, both perhaps—dropped like a stone to the floor. In a flash, she had swapped their outfits and dropped the man into her old dinghy, leaving him with her old log pose. At least the poor guy would have a chance to leave the island at some point. The ridiculous hat and veil he wore conveniently obscured her face. Tucking her long hair up into the hat, she checked her appearance in one of the numerous mirrors on board and stepped back, satisfied. She hastily stowed her backpack into an unused ship locker just as high-pitched voices heralded the return of Mr. 2.

"Head straight for Alabasta!" He screeched. Evidently he was not in the best of moods. "Intercept any and all ships along the way!" Stalking straight to the helm, he barely gave her a glance. She released a breath she had not realized she was holding. Going with the flow, she integrated with a group of okamas hoisting the main sail. One of them, hauling away beside her, paused and stared at her. She tensed, but continued to pull on the ropes.

"My goodness, Ariel! I had not realized how much weight you'd lost! You have to share with me your secrets!" With an awkward smile, she nodded silently, while thinking wryly that no weight-loss technique could possibly help the huge man with the build of a weight-lifter. She thanked her lucky stars when he grinned back at her and ambled away to complete his other duties. She ghosted around the deck for a while more, before slipping below decks to retrieve her hidden backpack and hide in the mustiest storage room she could find. If anyone found her, she would tell them she was looking for something. Casting her gaze around the room, she frowned, puzzled. Why would a bounty hunter ship carry a cargo of _foundation_? Settling behind a rack of lipsticks, she arranged her heavy skirts to make herself comfortable, struggling not to sneeze when a cloud of dust arose. At least the previous owner of the clothes had been relatively skinny, although he apparently had an unfortunate liking for lace and ruffles. If not for the situation, she would not be caught dead wearing such attire. The first thing she would do when she reached Alabasta would be to purchase a new set of clothes, or switch them off someone. She hugged her backpack to herself and rested her head on her knees. It was going to be a long trip.

A/N: This is all solo Cedra! But in the next one she will finally meet with the Straw Hats!

Why haven't I updated in like more than 2 months? Okay I have no excuse. I was just plain lazy over the holidays and then I went overseas and then school started and argh fifty billion things so sorry! I hope my followers are still around But I do promise that I've been reading up and getting ideas! (likelikelike from Neil Gaiman's SANDMAND) I will will will be disciplined and spare some time to update FORTNIGHTLY okay maybe not exactly on the dot but something along those lines! But thank you for the follows and the faves (: and for putting some measure of faith in an amateur writer like me! See you guys soon :)


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